The iconic cashmere brand returns to LFW with groundbreaking new fabrications and all year round appeal.

On Friday 14th September 2018, Johnstons of Elgin hosted its first Spring Summer presentation in the stunning surroundings of the Palm Court at the Waldorf Hilton Hotel. The brand, famed for its cashmere architecture and expertise, showcased a new dimension this season – a year-round collection of new and cutting-edge lightweight fabrications, establishing Johnstons of Elgin as a label for every season. Under the care of Creative Director Alan Scott, 15 womenswear and five menswear looks, each produced in Scotland, were shown to an international audience.

Scott’s objective for this collection was to showcase new cutting-edge lightweight textiles and knit innovations in cashmere silk and cotton, illustrating the year-round wearability of cashmere. The island of Ischia, situated in the bay of Naples, was an inspirational backdrop and the result is a body of work that is superlight, sporty, lux and linear in a tropical palette of pastels, hot pinks, lemon, electric blue, juxtaposed with cool neutrals to give contrast and depth to the palette.

Three concepts are explored to take wearers through the Spring and Summer months:

For high Summer, tissue weight cashmere and mesh constructions bring a languid air to the collection. Dresses and cropped trousers in 100% cashmere are impossibly light and full, playing with extreme volume. Tissue weight blanket scarves in bold Summer hues feel barely there against the skin.

Designed for warm climates, the second direction showcases Johnstons of Elgin’s newest innovation in lightweight technology. The cotton used is a distinct species, the most luxurious and precious of cotton fibres, and can only be grown in a few regions of the world. By knitting this incredible fibre using the brand’s whole garment technology, the garments feature fewer seams for a cool and clean look. Wardrobe icons such as the

Superfine Tank are silky and breathable and introduce the brand’s newest, vibrant colourways including lemon, azure, flamingo and aqua. These pieces set new benchmarks for craftsmanship and cooling comfort.

Sophisticated cruise-inspired pieces in the timeless hues of navy and ecru use new and never woven before cotton merino double face fabrics. These pieces include light and easy outerwear heroes, perfect for the chill of early Spring, such as the Handmade Double Face Duster Wrap Coat. Oversized cardigans also feature including a chunky 100% cashmere ribbed style showcasing the navy and ecru wide stripe that is dominant throughout this concept.

Scott explores different fluid and effortless shapes in this collection perfect for warmer weather. Kimono cuts, voluminous dresses and pyjama styles all contribute to this relaxed and super luxe look suited to the well-travelled and urban Johnstons of Elgin customer.

Every fabric used is unique to the brand with cashmere woven in the company’s mill in Elgin on the banks of the River Lossie and knitwear created in the Border town of Hawick. In its quest to further its commitment to sustainability, the brand is working tirelessly with the Sustainable Fibre Alliance – which Johnstons of Elgin helped to fund and launch.

“It is an honour to return to London Fashion Week for a second season,” says Scott. “This unique collection, lovingly made in Scotland, retains our signatures of textile expertise, craft and tailoring for which we have become world renowned, whilst showing the fashion world – for the very first time – that the brand is for all seasons.”

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